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Dracula (Universal Classics)
Count Dracula ---- Count Dracula is a fictional character based on the horror book by Bram Stoker (written 1897)that was first portrayed theatrically in 1922 with the release of the German expressionist film classic Nosferatu. Origin: ---- Count Dracula is a vampire that through a deal with the devil has existed for centuries, also the character is of Transylvanian nobleman birthright and is a practitioner of sorcery. The character has claimed to be of Szelsky origin and related to Atilla the Hun. Dracula maintains residence in a ruined castle in the Carpathian mountains near the Borgo pass situated in far Eastern Europe which has becomew quite a popular setting for the character. Universal Dracula: Nearly a decade after the release of Nosferatu Universal developed a remake (Dracula 1931) starring Bela Lugosi that would turn him from a minority silent film artist to one of the greatest film stars of all time.Dracula was released on the 3rd of February 1931 and marked the beginning of the Golden age of Horror the period in which films with sound revolutionised the horror genre and some of the greatest horror monsters of all time made their eternal mark on film history. Dracula 1931: ---- Universal released Dracula on the 3rd of February 1931, the highlight of this film was not only that it was the first motion picture widly ditributed with sound but also because it introduced seasoned screen and stage actor Bela Lugosi who had previously starred in the stage adaptation of the same name. below is a scene from the original Dracula in which the count encounters Van Helsing. Synopsis: On Walpurgis night Renfield"played by Dwight Frye" a British solicitor travels to the Borgo pass (residence of Dracula) where he is met by the counts coachman who takes him to the local town along with several other people who travel with him, but soon the other residents of the carage begin to grow fearful and as they notice the sunset they order the driver to stop. The residents arrive safely at the town before sundown. Renfield insists on arriving at the counts castle but the residents of the town beg him to stay at the inn, renfiel refuses and Draculas coach driver takes Renfield to the counts castle where he is baffled by the site of the decaying castle and by the display of wildlife and cobwebs before being greeted by Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi). Renfield is guided to the main sitting room by Dracula to discuss the terms of Draculas purchase of Carfax Abbey. Later in the evening Dracula and Renfield retire. But little does Renfield know that Dracula was going to hipnotise him into being his slave. The two then set sail for England and bring with them the unspeakable horror of Dracula.thumb|262px|right|A Scene from Dracula 1931 where Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) encounters Dr Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) After Lugosi: ---- After Bela Lugosi left Universal studios briefly only one actor was chosen to play the part of Dracula John Caaradine who portrayed a more true to the novel Dracdula a Dracula who reflected a British accent and a more sympathetic personality seeking to end his vampirism. Some fans were dissapointed for the dissappearence of Bela Lugosi however they enjoyed Carradine's performance also, Carradine's performance lasted through house of Frankenstein and house of Dracula. While the 40's was a quiet year for Dracula after the first film a sequel Dracula's daughter was made starring Gloria Holden, and nearly a decade later a second sequel was made Son of Dracula in which Lon Chaney stars as Count Alucard the son of Dracula. However one comedy horror film starring two globally acclaimed comedians Abott and Costello would be released in 1948 and would mark the second and last appearence of the greatest Dracula of all time. Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein: ---- Abott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was released theatrically in 1948 and marked the final Dracula appearence of Bela Lugosi it also marked the end of the first half of the twentieth centuries gothic horror for after Abotto and Costello meet Frankenstein horror in the united states would be largely dominated by Sci-fi horror films such as The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Synopsis: Chick young and Wilbur Grey are two baggage boys at the La Mirada hotel Florida, but when Wilbur accidentaley mishandles two crates belonging to MacDougal's House of Horrors' museum Mr MacDougal orders that the two deliver the crates personally to an insurance agent, but not before bragging to Wilburs girlfriend that both the crates contain the remains of the original Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the body of the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange). And after that the two set off for Transylvania not knowing what crazy misadventures the two will experience. End of the Golden Age ---- Abott and Costello meet Frankenstein marked the end of the Golden age of horror films and would give Dracula a decade long rest before he would appear again. Hammer ---- A decade after Abott and Costello meet Frankenstein was released and the horror genre seemed all but swept away by the global wave of B-movie sci-fi films Hammer a studio in England was responsible for reviving the then hard to find genre of gothic horror and reviving it with the use of realistic blood, motion picture colour, and explicit violence. But the Hammer series of Dracula was popular not only for these revolutionary factors but for the appearence of the man now widely considered as the second greatest Dracula of all time Christopher Lee. Dracula 1958 ---- 27 years after the original Dracula opened in theatres Hammer released their version of the classic Universal monster Dracula 1958 which was very highly acclaimed for the onscreen performance of Christopher Lee, the film marked the beginning of a long series of Dracula Gothic Horror films from the late 1950's to the early 1970's Synopsis Young Jonathan Harker arrives at Castle Dracula posing as a librarian he is startled to find a young woman rushing up to him stating that she is a prisoner under Count Dracula she begs for his help in escaping until she runs away moments before the count (Christopher Lee) appears. The count politely greets Mr Harker before guiding him to his room and stating, "I have to go out and I will not be back until after sundown tommorow", before leaving Dracula and Harker browse several pictures of Harkers fiancee Lucy. After that Dracula leaves the room and locks Harker in. Whilst in his room Harker opens his bag and states his true intentions in his journal, he's here to kill Count Dracula Sequels ---- The Massive success of Dracula gave rise to a popular audience and a market for Dracula Sequels, Brides of Dracula was the first attempt at a sequel and oddly didn't include the count at all but rather his Possesed Brides. Brides of Dracula however did not live up to expectations and in 1966 Christopher Lee reprised his role of Count Dracula in the 1966 Gothic Horror Dracula Prince of Darkness. Dracula prince of Darkness was quite highly rate amongst Dracula fans for it's use of vivid imagery including the pseudo-Eucharistic ritual that resurrects Dracula, the staking of Barbara Shelley and the Count's demise in the icy waters of his moat, a memorable sequence acted mainly by stuntman Eddie Powell. However over time Christopher Lee was increasingly unsatisfied with the lack of imagination in the latter Dracula films such as Scars of Dracula or Taste the blood of Dracula and after The Satanic rights of Dracula left Hammer thus ending the Hammer era and ending the greatest years of Dracula. After Hammer ---- Only three years after The Satanic rights of Dracula was released the BBC made another version of Count Dracula only this time in the television format however this version was more faithful to the novel than any other adaptation that had appeared previously and unlike previous adaptations he was portrayed as being a very young even seductive male. However there were no true horror films including Dracula during the latter half of the 70's and it wouldn't be till 1987 that Dracula would again be widely recognised along with several other Universal monsters in the [[Monster Squad.However Dracula would finely be given the chance to have a film to himself again in Bram Stokers Dracula. Bram Stokers Dracula ---- 34 years after Hammers Dracula 1958 acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola directed and released his modern remake of the classic tale starring Gary Oldman as Count Dracula it would be Draculas first globally succesful film since Hammers take on the tale and began the process of drawing Dracula back into the popular culture. Synopsis Unlike previous Dracula films it begins with a prologue scene where Vlad III the Impaler fights for Romania as a knight in the Order of the Dragon. He defeats a massive Turkish invasion in 1462. Upon returning home, he finds his beloved wife Elisabeta (Ryder) dead, having committed suicide upon hearing the false reports of his death in battle. Enraged at his wife being eternally damned as a suicide, Dracula desecrates his chapel and renounces God, declaring that he will rise from the grave to avenge Elisabeta with all the powers of darkness. Four centuries later in the year 1897 Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) travels to Castle Dracula in Transylvania to discuss the terms of the purchase of Carfax Abbey in England the Counts newest real estate purchase. At Castle Dracula the atmosphere is very bizzare almost as if there were something at work, for instane shadows that move by themselves and rooms full of unnatural objects. After meeting with the count (Gary Oldman)a pale and wrinkled old man wearing dashing red robes discuss the terms of the purchase and sign the real estate papers, afterwards the count is seen carresing a picture of Harkers Fiancee Mina Murray the reincarnation of his long dead wife Elisabeta. And after a dramatic confrontation between Harker Dracula and his brides sets sail for England on the Demeter and leaves Harker at the mercy of his bloodthirsty and insatiable brides who leave him drained and too weak to escape. Response The film was quite highly praised for both the performance of it's cast and the visionary filming technique it used. However the film was dismissed by die hard fans of Dracula for it's extremely noticeable and drastic plot changes for instance: In the film Dracula rapes Lucy, in the book he doesn't, the film plot centres around the love between Mina and Dracula, whereas in the book there is no romance at all between the two characters. Francis Ford Coppola recewived generally negative reviews from people who watched the film because of this. Alternate Forms ---- Bram Stokers Dracula amongst other things was appreciated for it's alternate forms of the title character which were the forms of a bat and a wolf but both were more anthropomorphic than previous films. The forms also played a vital role in the overall plot due to the fact that they were used Frequently in the film. To the side of this section is a trailer of Bram Stokers Dracula which highlights all the forms of Dracula and also highlights some of his many supernatural powers. thumb|212px|right